An important tool

As we get older (and none of us are getting younger), warming up becomes more important.  Here are three reasons to spend the time to get warm before getting serious.

1.     Injury prevention.  Warm muscles work better.  We need a little time to go from zero to sixty.  Doing too much too soon puts too much stress on our bodies.

2.     Increased performance.  When we warm up with lighter weights, it gives our bodies a chance to remember what we’re trying to do.  We can do more and do it better if we warm up first.

3.     Improved focus.  A warm-up routine gives our brains a chance to arrive at the workout as well as our bodies.  We can let go of whatever we were doing before we started so we can concentrate on what we’re doing now.

It doesn’t take long.  It’s good for us.  Let’s do it.

Hanging upside down can also help... and we can do that in Pilates

I don’t often spend much time in my car anymore, for which I am truly grateful.  I think that long commutes are in the running for most pernicious health threat because, unlike, say, fast food, there really aren’t a lot of alternatives available for those of us who work far from where we live.  Last week, I did spend a bunch of hours driving and my body really let me know.  Fortunately, there is Pilates.

When we are stuck in the same position for long periods of time, our joints and muscles get mad.  We can try shifting around in our seats or using various props to make things more comfortable—I have a lacrosse ball and a point-pressing duck in my car to help me survive—but eventually the discomfort wins.

Pilates to the rescue!  Because Pilates works to elongate our spines, it helps undo the damage of all that sitting.  We gain flexibility through Pilates exercises, releasing the tension of stillness.  Our joints remember how good it feels to move through a full range of motion.  And, of course, it is never bad to focus on the breath.

Sometimes we want Pilates to push us and to challenge us, but we can remember that it also exists to heal and nourish us.

DIY spa

I often have spa vacation fantasies.  I imagine going away to a place where I have a week to eat delicious healthy food, get plenty of exercise, sleep well at night, and get a massage or two or ten.  I visualize myself by the pool, having done my morning workout, relaxing in the shade before my tasty lunch and my afternoon meditation or facial or yoga class.

Here in reality land, it turns out that I can incorporate a lot of that stuff into my regular life.  Sure it’s not quite the same since I still have responsibilities and since I have to take care of the details myself, but it can be done.

So this week is a semi-spa week for me.  I have to plan meals anyway, so they might as well be ones that nourish me more in line with my health goals.  I can focus my workouts on restorative and relaxing practices like Pilates and yoga.  There is nothing stopping me from going to the pool to swim or taking the time to meditate.  I can even schedule a massage if I want one.

It might mean that the laundry gets done a little slower, or that I procrastinate a little longer on the housework.  No one will die.  And I might just find myself truly refreshed.